The quarter was reaching it's halfway mark. Danilo could tell that his defender was exhausted as Jason was breathing heavily with sweat streaming down his face.
'Even I'm feeling tired. There's no way this stick of a kid is doing any better. Hehe I can smell the blood in the water. It's feeding time.'
Danilo began dribbling as he stared down Jason. He hit him with a quick crossover to the right before pulling the ball back into his left with a through the legs dribble.
Jason stepped to the left on the crossover and was about to push off his foot to go back right when he heard something tear. His knee buckled before giving out on him as he fell to the floor.
Luckily Jason managed to swipe at the ball on his way down so although it was still Verde Gardens' possession it was a dead ball.
Coach Swendel smartly called for a timeout before they could inbound the ball. Kyle ran over to Jason "Oh my god Jaya! Are you okay!?"
Jason had managed to get himself into a sitting position. He looked at his knee and smiled as he lifted the leg of his shorts "I'm okay. The tape just ripped."
Kyle helped Jason hop over to the bench. Coach Swendel rushed to him "Oh my god Jason! I knew we shouldn't have let you played! I was stupid to listen to you. Why did I agree to tape you up!?"
Jason laughed as Kyle helped him sit down "Everything is okay Coach. It wasn't my ACL or anything. The tape just gave out and ripped while I was defending Danilo.
Just tape me back up and I'll be good to go." Coach Swendel was hesitating on what he should do when he heard a voice speak up "No."
Everyone turned in the direction of the voice and saw Trell standing up. He put his jersey back on as he looked at Jason "We'll hold things down. Just go get some rest."
Jason was shocked. He just stared at Trell not knowing what to say. Trell stepped forward "This don't mean that everythings good between us. We gon have to talk after the game.
But UD was right about one thing. I don't know what y'all think of me. But I think of y'all as my team. And it don't sit right with me to just give up on everybody like that.
So go ahead and rest. I can't promise that I'll shut down that number 1. Hell I might not even be able to do half as much as you.
But for three minutes we won't let them get ahead of us. So rest up and make sure that you'll be ready for that last minute of the game."
Jason nodded his head. He told Trell the basics of the defensice scheme for guarding Danilo. Jason emphasized forcing him to drive at an angle instead of straight even if it means giving a little bit of space.
The clock buzzed indicating that the timeout was done. Trell was about to walk back out on the court with the rest of the guys when he turned back around and extended a fist toward Jason. Jason smiled before extending his own fist forward to bump against Trell's.
Danilo smiled as he saw Trell making his way toward him "What happened to chopsticks? He get too tired to play?"
Trell got into a low defensive stance and ignored Danilo's taunting. Verde Gardens' Center inbounded the ball to Alex out on the perimeter who then passed the ball to Danilo on the left wing.
Trell didn't try to guard Danilo as tightly as he was before. He gave him an arms length of distance 'Focus Trell. You don't need to stop him. Just slow him down.'
- - -
Jason watched as Trell did his best to work with Kyle to defend Danilo. It was sloppy in comparison to what Jason was doing earlier but he was following the basics of the plan and his team work with Kyle was smooth as they seemed to know each other's rhythm.
Jason shook his head and turned towards Udonis "I don't know what you said UD but you did a hell of a job."
Udonis laughed "What makes you think I did something? Maybe Trell decided to let things go after watching you play so hard."
Jason cracked a smile "Come on UD. We both know that Trell is hella stubborn . He would need a ton of convincing to do anything. And besides, I saw you guys talking while I was on the court."
Udonis smiled as he shook his head "How the hell you manage to see that while guarding that dude?
I guess the cat's outta the bag. I did talk to Trell but it wasn't nothin too special. Just a quick chat. But I was being serious you know.
When I said that maybe Trell changed his mind after he done seen you play. Because no matter what I said it wouldn't have been enough if you weren't playin your heart out on the floor."
Jason was silent for a moment "You know what UD? Sometimes I just can't help but be jealous of you."
Udonis almost fell of the bench when he heard what Jason had said. He was caught completely off guard as he wasn't expecting him to say that.
"Come on man. You ain't gotta pull my leg like that. You jealous of me? You got it mixed up dog. It should be the other way around.
Some of the shit I done seen you do on the court is like the stuff out of sports movies man. I couldn't even dream of pullin off half the shit that you do on a daily basis. How the hell could you be jealous of me?"
Jason laughed after hearing Udonis' response "You gotta take another look in the mirror and reevaluate yourself UD.
Don't sell yourself short. You're a decent basketball player all around but the most amazing thing about you is how you seem to know just the right thing to do or say in every situation.
I know for a fact that I wouldn't have been able to convince Trell to get back in the game if I was the one in your shoes."
Udonis smiled as he put his hand on Jason's shoulder "Everybody got things that they good at and things that they bad at.
Sometimes instead of forcing someone into a role that they don't fit it's better to just find them a new role.
Kyle's in charge of blocking shots and protecting the paint, I'm in charge of running the offense when you're not here, and Matt and Nick are in charge of providing some shooting out on the perimeter.
It wouldn't make sense for me to try and have Matt rebound and protect the paint right? But that don't mean that you can't grow into a new role either.
K-Love was used to being the man in Minnesota. He was putting up big numbers and getting all the praise. At that time he was considered to be one of the top Power Forwards in the league.
But eventually he got tired of putting up empty numbers without any success behind them. So he asked to be traded and ended up with LeBron and Kyrie.
But things didn't click for him right away. He had to learn how to be lower on the totem pole. He had to grow into his lesser role.
The same thing goes for you. I know that you are a hell of a talent. For how long you've been playin I don't think that there is anyone else that can come close.
But don't try to do everything on your own. Don't try to force things to speed up. I'm sure you'll learn how to be a great leader if you let yourself grow into that role the same way K-Love let himself grow into his."
Now it was Jason's turn to be surprised. He thought that as someone who had lived life once and had years of life experience that he would be the one giving out wisdom to these kids.
He never expected to get such deep and meaningful advice from someone who was still in middle school 'I guess everyone really does have their own unique talents.
Udonis might not be anything too special as a player but as a leader and a locker-room presence he really is top notch.'
- - -
It was rough for Trell and the whole team to play without Jason. Even if he wasn't in his peak condition with his legs taped up he still helped the whole team by directing their defense.
Without his on the floor coaching everyone had to expend more energy on the defensive end of the ball.
But with that said Trell stuck to his words. Although it was hard they managed to stay in front of Verde Gardens up until the last minute, even if just barely.
With a score of 65-62 Jefferson was clinging on to a sliver of a lead as Coach Swendel used up his last timeout.
DJ wobbled to the bench before collapsing onto the seat. Jason extended his fist forward and the two of them exchanged a fist bump.
Jason stood up and started slowly feeling out the condition of his legs and the new tape that Coach Swendel had applied "Thanks for sticking it out DJ. I'll take care of things from here."
Sorry about the late chapter guys. I'm submitting another chapter from work so I didn't have time to look over it before posting. I would appreciate it if you guys could let me know about anything I need to fix. Hope you guys liked it though. Let me know what you thought. I know that we are in some really crazy times so I hope you are all staying safe. Have a beautiful day everyone :)
The timeout ended as Jason stood up and looked at Kyle, Udonis, Matt, and Nick. They all smiled and fist bumped him as they stepped back on to the hardwood.
Danilo was surprised to see Jason back in the game "Well if it ain't chopsticks. Not gonna lie I'm a little surprised to see you back in the game.
Then again it makes sense that your team would want to close out the game with their best player. What happened to Roid Rage? You took him out so you could have the two white boys play?"
Jason smirked as he looked Danilo "I would be more concerned about your own teammates my guy.
You know you ain't got anyone that can defend me and that might prove to be a bit of a problem considering that we're in the last minute of the game."
Danilo was somewhat right. As much as Jason wanted to put Trell in and have him play out the game to reward him for giving into the gameplan and doing what was best for the team.
Jason just couldn't do it. Trell's lack of shooting could prove to be very detrimental in this last stretch of the game.
Considering that the spacing was already tight as it was with Kyle and Udonis clogging up the paint.
Having Nick and Matt on the floor at the same time provided more shooting. Even if it meant lowing their defense on the perimeter Jason could minimize that with his great defensive coaching.
Kyle recieved the ball from the referee and he began to scan the court as he looked to pass the ball to Jason.
Jason was surprised as Verde Gardens had switched from using Alex to defend him to now using Danilo.
Danilo was sticking close to Jason and trying to deny him any clear angles to recieve the inbound pass.
Kyle was running out of time. If he didn't inbound the ball soon then it would result in a turnover. Kyle threw the inbound pass to Matt.
Danilo was trying his best to keep Jason from getting the ball. He was using his long arms and his big frame to deny the ball.
Jason faked a cut to the right but then spun left. He looked like a football player (American football) juking his defender on the field.
Matt saw Jason open so he passed him the ball. Jason caught the ball as he was cutting toward the paint.
Verde Gardens' defense collapsed as their players closed in on the paint to stop Jason. Their coach was going red in the face as he yelled his lungs out.
"What the hell are you doing!? Don't leave the perimeter open! It's better to give up a two than a three!"
But it was too late. Jason was able to see the floor clearly with just a quick glance. He saw Matt open on the wing and Nick open in the corner.
Jason's head was telling him to pass the ball to Nick because corner threes are the shortest three-pointers and are the easiest to make.
But something was telling him to pass it to Matt. Jason wasn't sure if it was his insticts or his heart talking to him but he decided to trust it.
Jason was in the paint going head to head with Verde Gardens' Center when he turned his back to him and threw a bullet pass to Matt.
The explosive pass was aimed right at Matt's shooting pocket. The pass was so quick that Matt didn't have time to think.
His body moved on it's own as he automatically went into his shooting motion. By the time that he knew what was happening the ball had already left his hand.
The gym seemingly went silent as everyone held their breathes and watched the ball fly through the air.
And just as sudden as the silence had appeared, the cheers and celebrations from the home section was the same.
The crowd errupted into a frenzy so great that the building felt like it was rocking once they saw the ball fall through the net.
Jefferson quickly went back on defense as Verde Gardens inbounded the ball. With only fifty seconds left on the clock they were up 68-62.
Alex brought the ball up the court and called out a play. Their team quickly began moving as Danilo went onto the left side and started posting up Jason on the elbow.
The rest of his teammates moved to the perimeter and to the side in order to give him ample space to operate.
Danilo did a couple fakes that Jason didn't bite on before starting to drive toward the paint. Except that instead of going toward the basket the drive was actually targeted at the perimeter.
Jason saw that two of Verde Gardens' players were lining up for the double scree. But even with his heads up awareness he could only dodge it by so much.
Jason didn't get hit hard by the screens but it was enough to give Danilo a bit of seperation. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to close out on time Jason did the only thing that he could do as he pushed Nick toward Danilo.
Nick wasn't expecting the push as he stumbled a bit but it still helped to get him in Danilo's proximity. Nick raised his hand to contest the shot as Danilo shot the three.
Wheter it be becaue Nick's close out wasn't enough, Danilo had great luck, or because of his ability to make tough shots Danilo was still able to make the three.
The spirit of the homecrowd seemed to have been sucked away by Danilo's shot as they instantly became quiet. The small number in the away section instantly began making some noise.
The referee handed Kyle the ball to inbound again. He began scanning the floor looking for a person to pass the ball to. He was surprised to see that Verde Gardens' was guarding everyone tight as the tried to deny any open passing lanes.
Not just that. Verde Gardens' Center was standing in front of Kyle as he jumped up and down while waving his arms nonstop. This was the first time that Kyle was experiencing this and he wasn't sure on how to handle it.
Time began winding down so he hurriedly passed the ball to Matt as soon as he saw an opening. As soon as Matt caught the ball another Verde Gardens' player left his assignment to swarm him.
Matt was surrounded and pressured by the double team. They kept trying to rip the ball out of his hands. Matt panicked and tossed the ball to the closest Jefferson jersey that he could find. Unfortunately that was Kyle.
Kyle was surprised but he managed to catch the ball. As soon as Verde Gardens saw that Kyle was the one with the ball they fouled him intentionally. The ref blew his whistle and called for Jefferson to get two free throws.
Matt instantly knew that he had messed up. He apologized to everyone "Sorry. I panicked, I thought that they were about to rip the ball out of my hands."
Jason patted him on the shoulder "It's okay Matt. Don't look so down. It's not like we lost the possession. Kyle just has to shoot some free throws.
And even if he misses both of them that still doesn't mean that we lost. They would still have to score a three to tie things up. So everyone push any negative thoughts out your head and focus on this last stretch of the game."
Everyone nodded as they got into place for the free throws before they could get a technical for slowing the process of the game.
Kyle stood at the free throw line. He wiped his hands on his shorts to get rid of the sweat before taking the ball from the referee.
Jason looked on as Kyle stood at the free throw line 'He doesn't look nervous like Matt was but instead it looks like he's over complicating things.
He looks like he's thinking about a million different things right now. Just empty out your head and focus on your shots bro.'
Kyle dribbled the ball and held it in his hands 'You gotta make this. You can guarantee the win Kyle. Right here right now. All you need to do is make these free throws.'
Kyle awkwardly shot his first free throw. His shooting motion was mechanical and was made up of 2 motions. There was a hitch in his shot as the ball reached the top before flying out of his hands.
Kyle's first shot was short as it barely hit the front of the rim. The away section had been booing Kyle as he was shooting while the home section tried to drown them out with their cheers.
The gym went quiet after Kyle missed his first free throw. Kyle bit his lip in frustration 'Come on man! How could you miss that!?'
He took a deep breath as he took the ball from the referee for his second and last free throw.
'Please just make this one. God if you're listening I promise to cut down on my anime to just 3 hours a week if you help me make this.'
Kyle focused on the basket as he dribbled the ball once again before shooting it. Maybe it was a result from his last free throw but Kyle seemed to have strong armed this one.
The ball smashed into the backboard before falling to the floor. Kyle's mouth twitched as he looked down in disappointment.
Jason patted him on the shoulder before making their way back on defense. Jason was focused on every player on the floor as they got ready to defend this last possession.
Alex called another play as the Verde Gardens' players began moving. Jason chased Danilo around two screens as he cut to the basket.
Jason then saw a double screen being set to get Danilo open on the wing. Jason was about to fight through the screens when his legs buckled.
'Shit! What kind of dollar tree bootleg tape did Coach Swendel use?' Jason's moves on offense combined with Chasing Danilo around the court seemed to have been to much for the tape as they gave out while Jason was fighting through the double screen.
Jason couldn't let his teammates know about his situation because then the opposing team might hear and take advantage of the situation.
Jason pushed Kyle forward as they switched assignments on the screen. Jason did his best to stay standing as he followed Verde Gardens' Center to the other side of the perimeter.
Danilo smiled as he began to get into rhythm with his dribbling. Kyle was left alone on an island as he now had to defend Danilo on the isolation.
With only 25 seconds left on the clock this possession could decide the fate of the game.
Sorry about missing yesterday’s chapter guys. I’ve been doing a chapter a day for a while now so it almost hurt to miss a day. Hope you all enjoyed today’s chapter. It’s another post from work so if there’s anything I need to fix feel free to point it out. I’ll try to get to it when I have the time. Let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a beautiful day :)
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